I discovered that
Fiji consists of 18,376 square km of land and includes about 330 islands
(depending on how many reefs and tiny islets you take into consideration), of
which about 100 are inhabited. The largest island and population center is Viti
Levu, which has an area of 10,388 square km--slightly smaller that the big
island of Hawai'i.

Vanua Levu, located
northeast of Viti Levu, is the second largest island and is a bit more than half
the size of Viti Levu.

Taveuni, the Garden
Island of Fiji and a popular dive destination, lies to the east of Vanua Levu
separated from it by the Somosomo Strait. Also a major scuba spot, and tied with
Taveuni as the third largest island in the archipelago is Kadavu, which lies to
the south of Viti Levu.

Fiji's remaining
islands are small and are divided into three main groups-- Lomaiviti, Lau and
the Yasawas. A smaller cluster of islands, home to many popular resorts, is the
Mamanuca Group just offshore from Viti Levu's west coast.

I stayed near Suva, a
seaport town on the SE coast of Viti Levu and also stayed on one of the very
small islands that surround the bigger islands.

The population of Fiji
is about 750,000, volcanic in origin, the highest point is 4,341 feet. First
sighted by Abel Tasman in 1643 and explored by Captain James Cook in 1774. Fiji
was declared a republic in 1987 following a military coup against the
Commenwealth of Great Britain.

Location:
Oceania, island group in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand